Plastic closet couplings are commonly used to connect toilet drains to sewer pipes in homes and the like. These couplings comprise a plastic flange, a connector and a steel ring mounted thereto which is sold as a single unit. The steel ring generally includes means for mounting the closet coupling to the sewer pipe to maintain the coupling in the proper location beneath a toilet. U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,780 entitled "Water Closet Coupling" which issued Dec. 4, 1973 to McEwan provides a description of the above system.
However, it has been found that the steel ring which surrounds the plastic closet flange often rusts through, particularly in the vicinity of holes provided in the steel ring. The rusted steel ring cannot maintain the seal between the plastic coupling and the toilet drain resulting in unsanitary water leakage. To rectify, the coupling must be repaired.